Last



Patented Aug. 18, 1925.

UNITED STATES 1,550,105 PA'IENT orrrcr..

CLINTON 1VI. SEARL, OF PORTSMO'UIH, OHIO, ASSIGNOR 'IO THE. VULCAN LAST GOM- PANY, OF IPO'R'1S1VIOU'TH, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

L A S Original application filed April 21, 1924, Serial No. 707,796. Divided and this application filed November 24:, 1924. Serial No. 751,7 64.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLINTON M. SEARL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Portsmouth, in the county of Scioto and 5 State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lasts, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

My invention relates to an improvement in lasts, and is particularly directed to lasts of the divided typethat is to say, to that type of last which is divided into two parts, a toe part and a heel part, movable rela tively to each other to collapsed and extended positions. The present application is a division of my application filed April 21, 1924, Serial No. 707,796. It is desirable in lasts of this type, that the last be capable of being easily collapsed so that it may be removed from a shoe without injury to the lining of the shoe and without stretching the shoe out of place.

In lasting a shoe the last is held upside down-that is, with the sole side uppermost-and inasmuch as a great deal of pressure is put on the toe of the last during the lasting operation, this tends to collapse the last, and consequently one of the objects so of my invention is the provision of a con struction in which the last is capable of withstanding the stresses to which it is subjected during the lasting operation without collapsing, but may be readily collapsed by the operator when desired.

In one form of last now in extensive use, the fore part and heel part are attached to each other by a link attached to the fore part and heel part by pins so located relatively that a line drawn through their centers will fall above the axis on which the last parts move when the last is collapsed and below this point or axis when the last is extended.

In such a construction, the greater the distance the pins are below the axis of. the last when the last is extended, or the greater the distance they are above the axis of the last when the last is collapsed, the more resistance the last will offer to collapse or extension, but this distance is limited inasmuch as the pins must be located in the last body itself, and in the case of wooden lasts the pins must be kept at an appreciable distance from the bottom or sole face owing to the danger of splitting the last when the same is in use or when being moved from extended position to collapsed position or vice versa.

In the present construction I have provided an arrangement for attaching the two last parts to each other whereby an effect is obtained which is as efiicient as the lowering of the pins in the above-outlined construction to the danger point, the resistance to collapse or extension offered by my last being very materially increased, without, however, necessitating placing of any pins at a point where they are likely to cause the last to split.

It is one of the especial objects of my invention to provide a last in which the last parts are held together under tension and not simply held in expanded or collapsed position under tension.

It is a further object of my invention to hold the last parts together by means em ploying a lever, with the parts constantly under tension.

It is a still further object of my invention to hold the parts of the last together under tension with the parts so arranged that the tension will assume its maximum when the parts are either in their fully expanded or fully collapsed position.

It is an additional object of my invention to provide the holding together of the parts under tension and to associate therewith a lever, the parts being so arranged that the tension will achieve its maximum at the completely expanded or collapsed position of the last parts. It will be realized that the tension may be created by a variety of means v. hich may be very compressible or expandible, and that the details of creating this condition are not essential.

It is a further object of my invention to provide such mechanism to hold the parts of the last together under tension that it will not be necessary to have resilient links or resilient anchor pins. Such means are eliminated and the same results are obtained;

It is a further object of my invention to provide the holding of such parts together under tension and the increasing of this tension at extreme positions together with means to lock the parts in extended position by such tension means to resist the pressure,

tending to collapse the last imposed on the bottom of the toe member in constructing the shoe thereon until such tension means is overcome by the operator breaking the last.

' In the accompanying drawing I have shown a sectional view illustrating my invention.

In the drawing I provide a last comprising the heel portion 1 and toe portion 2 divided by an arcuate out 3, the center of which is at 41;. In the heel part of the last I provide a lever or plate the rear end of which is broadened to provide a more or less triangularly shaped rear end, the forward extremity of the base of which is pivoted to the heel portion of the last by a pin 6. Pivotally attached to the other extremity of this broadened base portion by a pin 7 is a link 8, this link extending into th toe part oi the last where it is pivotally attached by a pin 9 to the forward extremity of the base 10 of a lever 11 which is similar to the lever 5 above referred to. The lever 11 is pivoted to the toe part of the last by a pin 12. The two levers 5 and 11 extend toward each ot1er, the lever 5 extending forwardly of the last and the lever 11 rearwardly until the two ends approach each other substantially over the center or axis at. Interposed between these adjacent ends of the levers 5 and 11 and the upper side of th link 8 is a coil spring 13 always under compression. The location of the pins 6 and 12 by which the levers 5 and are pivotally attached to the last parts is such that a line drawn through the centers of these pins falls below the axis 4 when the last is extended and above this axis when the last is collapsed.

In the full-line position it will be apparent that the action of the spring 13 is to rotate the levers 5 and 11 in an anti-clockwise and clockwise direction respectively. These two levers, however, being attached to each other through the tying link 8, the action of the spring 13 is to shorten or tend to shorten the distance between the two pins 6 and 12 and as a result the last parts will be held in extended position under tension.

Then the last is collapsed, that is to say, when moved to the dotted-line position, the spring 13 is exerting a pressure on the levers 5 and 11 in a direction to again shorten or tend to shorten the distance between the pins 6 and 12 but a line drawn through the centers of these pins now falls above the axis 4: and as a result the last parts will be held in collapsed position under tension.

It will be apparent that I have provided a last structure wherein the last parts are held in extended position and in collapsed position under tension, thereby providing a structure which will successfully withstand accidental collapse or extension of the lastparts when the same are in use in the manutacture of shoes. It will be seen also that in my invention I provide a structure in which the force exerted on the last parts to hold the last in extended and in collapsed position is of some magnitude, my improved construction being such, however, that this increase in force is provided without weakening the last. In other words, more power is available for holding the last parts in adjusted position du to my improved structure than is possible in lasts as now manufactured.

It will be seen also that I have provided a last structure wherein the last parts are held in extended position and in collapsed position under greatest tension. In other words, the tension under which the last parts are held to each other when the last is extended or when the last is collapsed, as th case may be, is greater than the tension under which the last parts are held when in an intermediate position.

II-aving thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a last of the divided type, the combination of a heel part and a toe part, a lever pivotally attached to said heel part, a second lever pivotally attached to said toe part, a link connecting said levers and pivotally connected to eacl lever, the pivotal points of attachment of said levers to said last parts being between the pivotal points of attachment oi the link to said levers, and a spring interposed between said link and the free ends of said levers, said spring maintaining the last parts in extended position and in collapsed position under tension.

2. In a last of the divided type, the combination of a heel part and a toe part, a lever pivotally attached to said heel part, a second lever pivotally attached to said toe part, said levers being inclined so that the free ends thereof extend toward each other, a link connecting said levers and pivotally connected to each lever, the pivotal points of attachment of said levers to said last parts being between the pivotal points of attachment of the link to said levers and a spring interposed between said link and the free ends of said levers, said spring being attached to said link intermediate its ends, the last parts being maintained in extended position and in collapsed position under ten sion by said spring.

3. In a last of the divided type, the combination of a heel part and a toe part, a lever pivotally attached to said heel part, a second lever pivotally attached to said toe part. a curved link connecting said levers and pivotally connected to each lever, the dip of said link being between the pivotal points of attachment of said levers to said last parts. and a coiled spring interposed between said link and the free ends of said levers, said spring maintaining the last parts in extendl l i ed position and in collapsed position under tension.

4:. In a last of the divided type, the combination of a heel part and a toe part, a

substantially triangular shaped lever pivotally attached to said heel part, a second triangular shaped lever pivotally attached to said toe part, a link pivotally attached to each of said levers and extending from the heel part to the toe part of the last, a coiled spring mounted at one end on. said link intermediate its ends, said levers being inclined toward each other so that the apexes engage the other end of said spring,

whereby said last parts are maintained in extended position and in collapsed position under tension, the arrangement of the levers, link and spring being such as to occupy a minimum amount of space in the last parts and at the same time provide a relatively large amount of leverage.

5. In a last of the divided type, the combination of a heel part and a toe part, a lever pivotally attached to the heel part of the last, a lever pivotally attached to the toe part of the last, the free ends of said levers extending toward each other, a curved link having one end pivotally attached to the lever in the heel part of the last and its other end pivotally attached to the lever in the toe part of the last, and a coiled spring interposed between the free ends ol said levers and a portion of said link and. exerting power on said levers in a direction to shorten the distance between the points of attachment of said levers to the two last parts, a line drawn between the points of attachment of the two levers to the last parts being shorter than a line drawn between the points of attachment of the link to the levers whereby said last parts will be held in extended position and in collapsed position under tension by said spring.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature.

CLINTON M. SEARL. 

